WIVB anchors and reporters, including morning anchor Melissa Holmes (above), recorded “It Gets Better” videos this week, following the recent suicide of Buffalo teenager Jamey Rodemeyer. The death of Rodemeyer, a high school freshman who was the target of anti-gay slurs from bullies online and at school for over a year, has gained national attention and become a flashpoint for those seeking greater public acceptance of gay teens, including pop star Lady Gaga.
“If you go home crying from high school everyday, you’re not alone,” Holmes says in her video. “You’re probably looking at me saying, ‘You’re on TV, you have it easy. You’re a TV anchor and reporter, you’ve got it easy.’ Well, I went home from high school crying. I was bullied.”
On Twitter this week, Holmes wrote, “I truly see Jamey’s story as 1 of the most important @news4buffalo will ever tell: he will save lives.”
A Buffalo native, Holmes confesses in her video that she will never forget the name of her high school bully.
Here are other “It Gets Better” videos from the WIVB news team…
More videos area available on WIVB’s YouTube channel.